Perseverance paid off Friday night for Campbell County High School’s varsity basketball teams.
Playing host to Sevier County for a TSSAA Hall of Fame doubleheader, both CCHS teams were able to withstand a challenge from the Smoky Bears.
The Lady Cougars won, 51-49, in overtime. Point guard Courtney Morris scored 6 of Campbell County’s 8 overtime points and ended up with a game-high 16.
Post player Amber Young also had a big game for the Lady Cougars (1-1 overall) with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Young scored 8 of her points during the final 12 minutes and hit a crucial basket during the overtime period. The game was tied 43-43 at the end of regulation after Morris missed a half-court heave at the buzzer.
“We tried to give it away the best we could in regulation,” joked Lady Cougars coach Ryan Browning.
“We played a little bit sloppy at the beginning. In the second half, we did a much better job not rushing things and played more under control.
“I think if we had hit our free throws, it wouldn’t have gone to overtime. We just did a poor job of shooting free throws and rebounding in the last minute.”
Even so, the Lady Cougars managed to find a way to win.
Kristin Chapman and Shayla Goins chipped in 6 points apiece for Campbell County, followed by Maria Foust with 5, Niki Ward 3, Courtney Miller and Hannah Owens 2 each.
Miller raked down a career-high 7 rebounds to lead the Lady Cougars in that statistical category. Morris dished out a team-best 4 assists. The Lady Cougars trailed 19-17 at halftime.
Madison Pickel scored 10 of her team-high 15 points during the fourth quarter for the Bearettes.
Cougars get first win
Campbell County’s boys rebounded from a season-opening loss to Morristown West with a 78-76 victory over Sevier County.
Senior point guard Lucas Nelson led the Cougars again with 16 points, but got some help this time around. Nick Litton contributed 15 points to the cause, followed by Corey Poteet with 14, Gunner St. John 13; Ethan Simpson, Brandon Lee and Jordan Kindred 6 each; and Tyler Chapman 5.
Dakota Cogdill led all scorers with 19 points for the Smoky Bears.
Both the CCHS girl’s and boy’s teams will be playing in a holiday tournament this weekend at Heritage High School in Blount County.

Dwane Wilder

Cougars' guard Lucas Nelson goes for a layup during the season opener against Morristown West.